Mayorally screwed?

One of the most unusual inaugural ceremonies in city history resulted in South Philadelphia losing some of its political clout in the city.

At the first official City Council session of Mayor John Street’s second term — a meeting that always has been ceremonial — a debate erupted about changes to the rules governing the city’s legislative body.

In the end, the South Philadelphia contingent on City Council — Councilmen Frank DiCicco and James Kenney and particularly Council President Anna Verna — and three other members usually at odds with the mayor were stripped of much of their power.

Kenney said South Philadelphians should be "outraged," and placed the blame on the mayor.

The changes strip power from the Council president, elevate the role of the minority party leader, and will affect how councilpeople are appointed to committees.

With the way the votes lined up — Street’s supporters in Council voting for the measure, and his opponents voting against it — the mayor will potentially face less resistance passing the administration’s initiatives and will have no problem squashing any legislation he dislikes.

"These [rules] were definitely influenced by the mayor, written by the mayor," Kenney said after the inauguration, "and he can deny it until the cows come home, but he’s the architect of this."

Onstage at the Kimmel Center, DiCicco also pointed to Street as the force behind the de facto coup, contending that Seventh District Councilman Rick Mariano admitted "the guy on the second floor" drafted the resolution for the rules change. Mariano denied this.

"It’s a power grab," DiCicco said, "designed by the mayor."

Street disavowed playing any part in rewriting the rules at a press conference after his inauguration ceremony, although he admitted he knew the changes were being considered.

"We always say, the minority will have its say but the majority will have its way," Street said. "What you just saw was the majority having its way. That’s the Democratic process we have in this country, and you are going to see that as we work through the term."

Street also downplayed the notion that the new rules made Council his "rubber stamp," pushing forward his pet initiatives with little resistance.

Verna said she did not know for sure that Street was behind the changes, but said, "if it’s true, I think it’s truly sad."

"This is unprecedented," she said on Tuesday, "and I believe it will not only affect this Council but future Councils."

She noted that the old rules worked fine when the mayor served as Council president.

"If it was good then, why is it bad now?" Verna posed. "But you are not supposed to ask too many questions, I guess."

The changes were set into motion weeks ago with a resolution introduced by Fifth District Councilman Darrell Clarke. Last Tuesday, members met in the Council president’s office to discuss the rules.

DiCicco said he and Kenney pressed the supporters of the bill to find out who drafted the rules. Mariano eventually suggested that the rules came from "the guy on the second floor," meaning the mayor, according to DiCicco.

Before the resolution was officially put to a vote during Monday’s inaugural ceremony, Fourth District Councilman Michael Nutter interrupted the proceedings to try to delay the vote. This sparked a debate involving Nutter, DiCicco, Kenney, Mariano and Third District Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell.

Nutter even tried to ask for a 10-minute recess in the middle of the inauguration, but Blackwell, who was serving as temporary chairperson, denied the request.

All of this took place with Street sitting onstage only a few feet away.

The resolution was put to a vote and passed 11-6. Verna, Kenney, DiCicco, Nutter, Marian Tasco and David Cohen voted against the measure.

"It’s sad that councilmembers decided on their own — or at least 11 of them — to make Council practically irrelevant when it comes to public discussion," Kenney said.

The changes give Majority Leader Blackwell power to challenge any of Verna’s appointments, but even more power to the minority leader, Republican Councilman Brian O’Neill, whose vote will settle disputes between Verna and Blackwell. Despite being from an opposing party, O’Neill often sides with the mayor.

Also, the Council presidency was changed from a four-year term to one dictated by the "pleasure of the majority of Council." That means if Verna’s opponents could garner enough support, they could remove her from the presidency — and there are 11 members who voted for the rules change.

"South Philadelphia should be outraged at the disloyalty shown by some members towards Anna Verna as president," Kenney said. "This is the first woman — an Italian-American president — in the city’s history, and members of this Council, including Italian Americans, conspired to strip her of her powers and make a mockery of her office."

Verna, however, was elected president by a 16-1 margin. Mariano was the lone dissenter.

Verna does not believe she has become a figurehead, nor is she concerned she will lose the presidency. She said she believes these changes stem from issues surrounding the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative legislation.

Street chided Verna for not pushing the legislation through Council more quickly, but Verna maintains the $300-million program is better for having been scrutinized by Council.

The impact of these rules changes might only be realized if the federal probe investigating City Hall uncovers something damaging against Street and he is removed from office.

If that occurred under the old rules, Council President Verna would assume the mayor’s office until the next general election. But now, Verna could be removed as president by a majority vote in Council and replaced, potentially by a Street ally, before she could take office.

While Verna said she has heard the rumors that the mayor is setting up his successor, she would not speculate if that was his motivation — if he is even behind the rule changes in the first place.

DiCicco believes the federal probe has everything to do with what happened Monday.

"They did not want Anna Verna to be mayor of this city. There are no two ways about it," DiCicco said. "There are people in Council and this administration who believe Anna Verna takes her orders from Sen. Vince Fumo.

"I make no bones about the fact that I’m a Fumocrat … but Anna Verna, as much as she respects Vincent, is not in that camp the way they think," the councilman added.

DiCicco maintained the changes were a calculated move against politicians in South Philly, and said without the support of 10th District Councilman Brian O’Neill and Councilman-at-Large Frank Rizzo, it would not have happened.

"Frank Rizzo, as far as I’m concerned, abandoned his base in South Philly," DiCicco said. The councilman also reportedly said Rizzo’s father, the former mayor, would turn over in his grave if he saw his son’s performance.

"My father would be very proud of my career and my record," Rizzo responded.

"I always tried to get along with Councilman DiCicco, but I can see why he has trouble getting along with people," Rizzo said on Tuesday. "He should’ve never invoked my father’s name in this conversation. This is about partisan politics. As long as I’m a Republican, I’m going to be loyal to my party."

He called DiCicco a "sore loser" and said "the people of South Philadelphia should be thrilled."

Rizzo called his support of the rules changes irrelevant because, without it, there still would have been enough votes to pass the resolution. He ultimately decided to vote for the changes when the Republicans promised to appoint him as minority whip, he said. Before the vote, Rizzo said he talked to Verna and explained why he supported the changes.